Get your general involved early. In most cases, a good general can either assist with the design or has a good designer you can with with that they also are comfortable with (usually, if you like the general, they tend to work with similar people, so chances are, you will like their people as well). Must generals will also either have the ability to generate plans for the roof section and an engineer to review and stamp if necessary, and/or an architect/pan designer to assist in that process. Without plans on the roof section, proposals you receive will be estimates based on final design which means a bit of a moving target and more difficult to compare apples to apples between various GC. IMO, get proposals on the clearly defined work (most generals will give budgets for unspecified items based on their interviewing of you) and make a selection you feel most comfortable with based on the more concrete projects. Of course let them know you intend to do the roof section. If you need a roof number, just ask that section specifically be broken out from the total project.

MATERIALS Entry and Kitchen on Main Level Flooring throughout main level: COREtec Pro Plus Monterey Oak. Wall paint throughout whole house: SW Accessible Beige #7036. Full strength on upper level and main level; then changes to 50% strength for the middle and lowest levels bc they get less natural light. Trim paint throughout whole house: SW Snowbound #7004. Stain on window sills and stair railings throughout house: a gel stain in a medium/dark color to compliment the floors, but I don’t know the exact color name. Kitchen Cabinets: Great Northern Cabinet Company paint grade maple in Frosty White. Door style is a basic shaker with a bead, but I can’t remember the exact name of the door style. Hardware: Jeffrey Alexander Durham 1-1/4” mushroom cabinet knobs in satin nickel; Jeffrey Alexander Bremen 1 Series cabinet pulls in 3-3/4”, 5”, and 6-3/8” sizes in satin nickel. Purchased from Build.com. Counters: Taq Mahal Quartzite, polished. Purchased from Arizona tile in Denver. Backsplash: 3”x6” Crossville, Market Collection, Ashbury tile in the color Fleece in crackle finish set in a brick pattern. Fridge, MW and Stove were existing and reinstalled Sink: Elkay Lustertone Classic Stainless Steel 30-1/2” x 18-1/2”x 10” Single Bowl with Perfect Drain and sink grid Faucet: Delta Trinsic Single-handle pull-down sprayer with magnetite docking in shiny chrome. DW: Kitchen Aid 39-Decibel Built-in DW in Stainless Steel purchased from Lowes. Ceiling lights: LED can lights Pendants: I’m not sure bc SIL found them; probably Lowes, Wayfair or Overstock Roman shades: Budget Blinds Counter stools: Not sure bc DS bought them at home and put them together at the house. Bear Clock: Purchased from a local decor shop. Dining and Living Room on Main Level Dining table: Bassett Furniture Bench Made Collection, Harvest Table, 90”x42” in Steel Finish with Standard Edge Dining Chairs: Star Furniture (Houston). Can’t remember the exact name of the chairs, but the word Largo is stamped under the seat. I’ve seen this criss-cross design many other places such as Pottery Barn and other furniture stores. Need to make some chair cushions. Chandelier: I’m not sure bc SIL found them; probably Lowes, Wayfair or Overstock Honeycomb blinds: Budget Blinds Sectional Sofa with queen pull-out bed: Bassett Furniture Area rug: Crate & Barrel Alvarez Garden Rug, 9’x12’. Coffee Table: Bassett Furniture Nesting side tables: Thrift store find, painted and refinished. Fireplace Rock: 3-D Mesh Mount Stack Scabos Split from Arizona Tile in Denver. Fireplace Mantle: Handmade by a local artisan out of Alma, CO. Fireplace was existing. Original gold metal finish was spray painted black and reinstalled. Master Bath Bathroom floor tile: Emser Tile, Hangar Sand in 12”x24”. Grout: Custom Prism #386 Oyster Gray. Shower floor tile: Emser Tile, Explorer Barcelona in 2”x 2”. Grout: Custom Prism #135 Mushroom. Shower wall tile: Arizona Tile H-Line in Cotton Glossy in 4”x16” set in a 1/3 offset pattern. Grout: Custom Prism #11 Snow White. Bath vanity: Great Northern Cabinet Company. The wood is clear Alder and the stain is called Heirloom. Hardware: Top Knobs TK 832 Eden 1-3/8” Mushroom Cabinet Knobs from Serene Series in flat black; Top Knobs TK 823 Lily Cabinet Pull from Serene Series in 5” and 6-5/16” sizes in flat black. Counters: Color Quartz (CQ) Quartz in the color Glacier. Sinks: The fabricator provided the rectangular shaped sinks. They are similar to Kohler Ladena. Faucets: Delta Ashlyn 3-hole widespread faucet in chrome. Towel ring, towel bar and TP holder: Delta Dryden in chrome. Need to add an additional towel bar and some robe hooks. Also we will put something in the empty 3’ space opposite toilet, probably a narrow cabinet. Mirror: Beveled mirror from local glass company. Vanity lighting: I thought I ordered it from Wayfair, but I can’t find my order to list the name. Toilet: American Standard Cadet 3 FloWise 2-Piece 1.28 GPF Single Flush Elongated in white. Showerhead: Delta HydroRain 5-setting showerhead in chrome. Handshower: Delta Universal Showering ActivTouch 9-setting Handshower Valve trims: Delta Ashlyn Shower corner shelf: Delta corner shelf with assist bar in polished chrome. Hall Bath on Middle Level Floor tile, vanity cabinet, hardware, countertop, towel ring, towel bar, toilet, and TP holder are all the same as Master bathroom. Faucet is Delta Ashlyn 1-hole in chrome. Mirror: 30” x 40” Marylee Rectangle Beveled Polish Frameless Wall Mirror. Ordered from Wayfair. Vanity Light: Poppy 3-light vanity light in black finish. Ordered from Wayfair. Tub/shower fixtures: Delta Ashlyn in chrome. Tub: Basic enameled over steel Shower tile: 3”x6” white Daltile flat subway tiles from Home Depot set in a brick pattern, with matching corner shelves and soap dish. Family Room on Middle Level Carpet throughout the rest of the house: Dixie Home Brilliance Stainmaster TruSoft in the color Razzle. Purchased through ProSource by GC. In this room we kept all the existing furniture except SIL bought new lamps. Both sofas have pull-out queen beds. Fireplace Rock and Mantle: Same as living room on main level. Fireplace raised hearth: Arizona Tile Honey Tumbled Lyon Travertine tile. Fireplace framing was painted black same as Living room fireplace framing. Jack and Jill Bathroom on Lowest Level Floor tile, vanity cabinet, hardware, countertop, towel rings, towel bar, toilet, and TP holder are all the same as Master bathroom. Mirror is a plain flat mirror from a local glass shop. Tub, tile and shower fixtures are the same as the Hall bath on middle level. Vanity Lights are 2 sets of Poppy 4-light vanity light in black finish. Ordered from Wayfair.

I’ve shared some of your thoughts about how to arrange the kitchen with my husband, and we both feel that leaving the pantry and fridge next to the deck door is what works best for us. As for the laundry, we’ve really been going back and forth about wanting a bigger master bath, and the more spacious laundry area. I would love to keep the laundry near the bedrooms, but I also don’t want the noise on the main floor, and if there was a leak, the basement makes more sense. This house is not made for people who have trouble moving because you have to walk up and down stairs to get to the garage, and the front entrance is up a hill and steps. I think our final decision will come down to cost, since there is a lot of remodeling that already needs to be done, including the deck and yards, so the laundry and bathrooms might not be touched.

Some comments: - Are you working with a budget, architect, and/or builder? There are some things that seem to be glossed over. I see a 2-story addition of 5' along the entire back (but not including the original garage converted to "Living" Room). What does this do to the roof, as you had a "Cape Cod" style roof prior? What does this do to the existing 2nd floor joists, which probably were bearing on the old exterior wall, now needing to bear on a beam/columns right through your ref, in front of your stove, and cross over the peninsula? - You have switched the Dining, which looks to still maintain the main large outdoor access route. I assume you have some sort of existing patio or deck at the old Dining location? What does moving that access all the way to the end of house, where then it's also fed from the "Family" Room (mislabeled from a more formal Living Room)? And the existing "Living" Room (mislabeled from a more relaxed Family Room) which then will be further from the large access for indoor/outdoor living? - Upstairs Bedroom#3 (mislabeled from Master): Are there any existing slanted ceilings with the roof style not shown, and kneewall heights lower than 7'-8"? With such an odd proportion, have you thought about bumping a dormer out the back? Should the size of the other Bedroom and "Office" rival the Master?